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Two US men charged in sex trafficking case

U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced on Thursday that Daniel Tanck, 31, and Robert Palermo, 29, of Rochester, New York, were each charged with the felony of sex trafficking of a minor.

Sex trafficking of a minor carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of USD 250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee stated that according to the complaint, a 14-year-old victim reported that Tanck and Palermo had placed an ad on Backpage.com for her to engage in prostitution activities.

According to the 14-year-old victim, Tanck and Palermo had taken the pictures of her for the Backpage.com ad at their residence on Emerson Street in the city of Rochester, and the two of them posted the advertisement using Tanck's computer.

The victim alleged that both Tanck and Palermo knew that she was 14 years of age.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.